CODY - Hunters with Hunt Area 61 elk licenses can now register online for the Cody Region Hunter Management and Access Program (HMAP). Leftover antlerless elk licenses for this area are still available.

HMAP allows registered hunters with Hunt Area 61 licenses access to private land in the Meeteetse Creek area to pursue antlerless elk for a preselected time period. Hunters should note that areas of the Wood River and Gooseberry Creek in elk hunt areas 62 and 63 will not be a part of the program this year.

A hunt coordinator will work with landowners to identify areas where elk are congregating in the program area and direct registered hunters to those locations. The hunt coordinators will not serve as guides and will not always accompany hunters in the field

“It is important to understand that this is not an easy hay meadow hunt,” said Aaron McGuire hunt management coordinator. “Hunters should be prepared for extreme weather conditions and be able to hike distances over a mile in rough terrain. Hunters must also be prepared to retrieve harvested game on their own. Use of ATVs is limited to game retrieval only and ATV travel is restricted to established two-tracks and roads.”

The program will begin Oct. 3 and run through Jan. 12, 2014. To participate, hunters must register online and select one hunt period consisting of two or three days. Twenty-three hunt periods are available. Registration is on a first come, first serve basis.

Anyone with an elk Hunt Area 61 type 1, 2, 4, or 6 licenses can apply. Hunting is limited to antlerless elk only. Hunting of other big game animals, trophy game animals, or predatory animals is not permitted.

To register, go to: wgfd.wyo.gov and click on “apply for a permission slip”. Hunters must possess a valid Hunt Area 61 elk license before registering.

“The chance to hunt on private land is a privilege,” McGuire said. “The success of the program and future of hunting opportunities on these lands depend on hunters’ compliance with ranch rules and demonstration of responsible, ethical behavior.”

HMAP is designed to reduce elk numbers by increasing hunter access to private land. Increasing access to private land will help reduce growing numbers of elk in the Meeteetse Creek area, keep herds within population objectives, and monitor the presence of brucellosis in harvested elk.